Hole #12

As the crow flies, Shepherd’s Hollow is less than 1.5 miles from my front door. The course was designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 2000. The land for the 27 holes is leased from the Colombiere Center, which is a retreat center originally designed as a college for Jesuit Priests. You barely see a house on the course (though you may a priest’s cemetery).  The land has great elevation changes and is densely wooded. It is a course where your blood pressure quickly drops with all of the beautiful scenery.

It is ranked #12 overall in the State of Michigan and #37 in the United States among Public Courses by Golf Digest. One curiosity I found is that Golf Digest uses the 2nd and 3rd nine in its Rankings (Holes 10-27). I and many others I talk to have the opinion along that holes 1-18 make the best tract. I find 19-27 are “tricked up,” do not flow very well, and there are at least 3 holes which are unfair.

Hole #12 is a lengthy Par-3. If you push your shot you may end up in the woods, hooking will probably get you into a bunker. Take plenty of club as I always seem to end up short. There are several other great holes on the course. My favorites include the Par-5 4th, 13th, and 18th. The Par-4′s have quite a variance as you have monsters such as the 483-yard 11th and shorties such as the 345-yard 3rd. The variance of holes is one aspect typical of an Arthur Hill’s design that I find great.

If you plan to play Shepherd’s Hollow, prepare yourself for a slow round. I always find a round will take about 5.5-6.0 hours during heavy traffic time. You will find the food in the clubhouse great, as I have never had a bad meal there. If you come visit me, I will be glad to check it out with you. I must warn you that I prefer a crack of dawn tee time to avoid a long round.